Ordnance.



W'. D. SMITH'.

oRDNANoB.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 27,1913, l, 1 1 1,039. Patented Sept. 22, i914` Y z slums-SHEET 1.

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ORDNANCE.

` APPLIGATION FILED JUNE 27,1913. 1,1 1 1,039. Patented sept. 22, 1914.

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'% X @dem WILLIAM 'n SMITH, or WAsIIINGToII, DISTRICT or COLUMBIA.

ORDNANCE.

Specication of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 22, 1914.

Application led .Tune 27, 1913. Serial No. 776,142,

T0 all whom it may concern: A

Be it known that I, WILLIAM D. SMITH, a citizen of the United States, residing at lV'ashington, in the District of Columbia,

have invent-ed new and useful Improvements in Ordnance, of .which the following is a specification.

The present invention relates to breechloading ordnance, and is more especially related to ordnance of the character employing a mushroom and a gas check, together with means for supplying a fluid under pressure. or a lubricant, such as graphite, yhich is introduced past the mushroom ead. Y

The primary object is to provide a structure of this kind, with novel, simple and effective means for preventing the introduction of such fluid o r lubricant between the gas check and the breech block, and which if thus allowed to enter, would be apt to effect Fig. B is an elevation of the left hand end thereof. Fig. -1 is a longitudinal sectional view through the mushroom spindle sleeve. Fig. is an end elevation of the latter sleeve. Fig. (i is a sectional view through a slightly different form of structure. Fig. 7 is a longitudinal sectional view of the sleeve employed in the structure shown in Fig. 6. Fig. 8 is an elevation of the left-hand end thereof. Fig. 9 is a longitudinal sectional view of 4a. portion of the sleeve shown in Fig. 2. Fig. 10 is a detail view of a modific-d form of lockingmeans for the guard sleeve.

' Similar reference numerals designate corresponding pa-rts in all the figures of the drawings.

In the embodiment disclosed in Figs. 1-5

.inclusive and Fig. 9, a part of the breech portion of a gun is illustrated in Fig. 1, and is designated 10, and removably mounted therein, is a breech block 11 carrying any well known. type of-mushroom, the same comprising a head 12 and a spindle 13 that .is slidably mounted in the .breech block 11.

The mushroom is capable of a limited longitudinal movement in the breech |block, as isu Well understood, and interposed between its head' 12 and the block 11 is a gas check pad 14, which may be of any desired or .well known construction.

In the present embodiment, the mushroom is advanced by fluid under pressure, which is delivered from any suitable source of supply through a conduit 15 into a port 16 formed in the carrier sleeve 17. Mounted on the rear or outer portion of the spindle 13 is a piston 18 that operates in a suitable air chamber 19 formed in the carrier sleeve 17. A spring 20, interposed between the usual keyed ring, as 21, and the piston 18, serves to normally urge the piston, and

therefore the mushroom, rearwardly. It will be noted, however, that the port 16 opens into the chamber 19 in rear of said piston, and therefore if fluid under pressure 1s introduced into said chamber 19 through said port, it will move the piston forwardly against the action of the spring 20', and thus advance the mushroom. I'

For the purpose of delivering the fluid into the bore of the gun, suitable conducting channels 22 are formed longitudinally in the spindle 13, their rear ends opening just in rear of an extension 23 formed upon the piston 18 and movable into a pocket 24 that is formed in a nut 25 that constitutes the rear4 wall of the fluid pressure chamber 19. These channels 22 terminate at their inner ends" directly adjacent to the neck 26 of the spindle 13. The channels 22 have their outer l sides, with the exception of their end ports,

covered by the piston 18 and a sleeve 27 that is fixed upon the spindle and moves therewith.

The operation of the structure, as thus far i nut 25, whereupon thel fluid under pressure will pass through the channels 22, for at this time, the inner ends of said channels will open' into the space left by the advance "of tu e or sleeve 28 of copper or other suitable material surrounds the spindle 13 and sleeve 27, and its outer end is flared, asshown at 29 to correspond to the flared or tapered j construction of the neck 26 of the spindle.

This inner flared end is interposed between the mushroom head 12 and the gas check 14, thus not only bridging the joint between the gas check 14 and the breech block, but extending well over said gas check. It 'is inserted and removed through the inner end of the breech block, and preferably suitable means are employed for holding it in posi- ,tion against accidental displacement. This means, in the present embodiment, consists of spring ngers formed by longitudinally slitting the outer end of the sleeve 28 and the terminals are outturned, as illustrated at 31, producing an annular flange which will spring into place over the breech block, and the spindle when inserted locks it :so that it cannot be 'withdrawn without removing the spindle from the Ibore, as clearly shown in Fig. 1. A guard sleeve is thus provided, which will effectively prevent the introduction of the liuid between the gas pad and the breech block, and furthermore thisv sleeve constitutes in effect, means for positively holding the gas check in place A against the breech block.

The structure shown in Fig. 6 is very similar to that already described, and therefore corresponding parts have been given the same reference numerals. The principal distinction is in the guard sleeve, which in this modification, is desi ated 28a. In the rst described structure, 1t will be noted that the flared end 29 of the guard sleeve is gradu-` ally reduced in thickness, whereas in the structure illustrated in Figs. 6 and 7, this flared end is thickened, as shown at 29a. The

neck 26 oi' the mushroom is thus on a difl'erent radius from the outer face of the adjacent curved portion of the 'gas check 14. It will also be noted that the inner ends of the channels 22 terminate at substantially the beginning of the curve of said neck 26. They furthermore stop at the inner end of the breech block, being thus out of the pressure zone of the mushroom head. Thus a slight inward movement or advance of the mushroom will cause the channels 22 to be opened v and permit the escape ofthe fluidy into the bore of the gun. In this form, theextension `23 is eliminated'from the piston.

In Fig. 10, there' is illustrated a slightly modified form of holding means for the uard tube. In this embodiment, said tube 1s designated 28h, and its outer or rear end is threaded, as' show-n at 301 to receive a nut 31b screwed thereupon.- Interposed between the nut and the adjacent wall'of the breech block is a coiled spring or lotherv yielding element 32h, which serves to permit a slight j play of the tube due to the the gas check.

From the foregoing, it is thought that the construction, operation and many advantages of the herein described invention will compression of be apparent to those skilled in the art, without further description, and it will be under-. stood that various changes in the size, shape, proportion -and minor details of construction may be resorted to without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advanvtages of the invention.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to Asecu-re by Letters Patent, is

1. In a breech loading gun of the charl acter described, the combination with a breech block, of a mushroom head movably mounted thereon, a gas check interposed between the mushroom head and the breech block, and a sleeve extending into the breech block and having an enlarged inner end interposed between the mushroom head and the gas check.

2. In a breech-loading gun the character described, the combination with a breech block, of a mushroom head located at the inner end of the breech block and having a spindle slidably mounted in said breech block, a gas check interposed between the mushroom head and the breech block, and

a sleeve surrounding the spindle and having an enlarged inner end interposed. between the mushroom head and the gas check.

3. In a breech-loading un of the character described, the com ination with a breech block, of a mushroom head having a spindle extending into the breech block, a sleeve surrounding the spindle and movable therewith, a gas check interposed between the mushroom head and the breech block, and another sleeve surrounding the rst sleeve and bridging the' joint between the gas check and breech block.-

4. In a breech-loading gun of the character described, the combination with a breech block, of a mushroom head having a spindle extending into the breech block, a sleeve surrounding the spindle and movable therewith, a gas check' interposed between the mushroom head and the breech block, and another sleeve surrounding the first sleeve and bridging the joint between ing the spindle and extending over the channels, said sleeve being movable with the spindle, a gas check interposed between the mushroom head and the breech block, and another sleeve surrounding the first sleeve and bridging the `joint between the gas check and the breech block, said latter sleeve being held against forward movement.

6, In a breech-loading n of the character described, the com ination with a breech block having a bore, of a mushroom having a head at the inner end of the breech block and a spindle slidable in said breech block bore, a gas check interposed between the head and breech block, and means for preventing uid ressure enterin between the gas check` and reech block, sai means having a part located in the breech block bore and surrounding the spindle and having an enlargement at its inner end that prevents its outward passage through the bore of the breech block, said means being removable only through the inner end of the breech block.A

7. In a breech-loading n of the character described, the com ination with a breech block, of a mushroom having a head n at the inner-end of the breech block and a s indleslidable in said breech block, a gas c eck interposed between the mush room head and breech block, means for reventing uldunder etween (pressure entering the gas check an breech block, said 4means having an enlarged portionI at its inner end.

that overlies the gas check and said means being removable through the inner end of the breech block, and a locking device associ'ated with the outer end of said means for normally preventing the movement of the same toward the inner end of the breec block. A 8. In a breech-loading of the char- A acter described, the com ination with a breech block, of a mushroom havin a head at the inner end of the breech bloc and a -pressure entering between the gas check and breech block, sald means having a ortion mounted in the breech block and. being removable through the inner end of the said breech block and having an enlarged portion at its inner end that overlies the front portion of the gas check, and locking .devices carried by the outer end of said means and detachably engaging the breech block for normally preventlng the inward movement of the same.

9. In a breech-loading un of the charf acter described, the com ination with a breech block, of a mushroom having a head at the inner end of the breech block and a spindle slidable in said breech block, a gas check interposed between the head and breech b1ock,'and a sleeve surrounding the spindle and having spring locking means engaging the breech block to normally prevent the detachment of the sleeve.

10. In a breech-loading gun of the character described, the combination with a breech block, of a mushroom havin a head at the inner end of the breech bloc and a s indie slidably mounted in said breech b ock, a gas check ad interposed between the mushroom hea and breech block, a sleeve surrounding the s indle and having a flared inner end that is interposed between the mushroom head and gas check pad, the outer end of said sleeve being longitudinally slotted forming spring fingers havin outturned terminals that engage the reech block.

11. In abreech loading gun of the character described, the combination with a breech block, of a mushroom head movably mounted on the inner end thereof, a gas check interposed between the mushroom head and thebreech block, and means engagin the breech block and check for positively ho ding the latter against separation from the breech block when the head is advanced.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

WILLIAM D. SMITH. 

